“Two Brides are Better Than One” was the motto of the day for Katie and Stephanie’s industrial wedding in downtown Monroe, NC. Stephanie and Katie met online and one of their very first conversations was about their shared hatred of honeydew melon. They are witty, fun, and incredibly supportive of one another. They wanted a beautiful wedding that was full of fun and also completely nontraditional. Stephanie described the vibe as less focused on the “making our love official” thing,” and more of a “huge party where everyone else can celebrate how much we love each other too”.

Their wedding was as much about them getting married as it was finally being able to celebrate properly after not seeing everyone for so long during Covid shut-downs. They chose the Bottle Factory in downtown Monroe for their wedding venue because they appreciated the industrial feel and all of the exposed brick. We also took advantage of many of the outdoor areas near the venue so as to capture our two brides in a wide variety of fun urban settings.

Speaking of urban settings, also check out their engagement session at Camp North End!

Two Brides Getting Ready for an Industrial Wedding Day

Even though they planned to have a first look later that day, Katie and Stephanie chose to get ready separately with their respective bridal parties. Katie got ready at a nearby Airbnb with a pretty epic game room and Stephanie called dibs on the Bottle Factory venue getting ready space. Once both ladies were dressed and on-site, we set up the first look where Katie approached from behind to surprise Stephanie. Here is where they shared their “real” vows. These were the long personal ones that were only shared between the two of them. They shared fond memories and sweet promises and Katie in particular shed a few tears.

A Quick Ceremony Followed by a Big Party!

Stephanie and Katie’s ceremony was probably the fastest wedding ceremony we’ve ever seen! Like, probably under five minutes! Part of this is because they shared the bulk of their vows privately before the ceremony, but also because the ceremony pomp and circumstance was not a big priority for them. Additionally, because they had their first look earlier in the day, they were less concerned with the logistics of two brides entering a room simultaneously, which could have made it difficult for them to get a good look at each other.

With the formalities out of the way, Katie and Stephanie were ready to PARTY! Their DJ had them and their friends out on the dancefloor for a little over two hours playing everything from EDM to classic rock to Mr. Brightside and Journey. They ended their night with a fiberoptic wand sendoff and many amazing memories.

Venue: The Bottle Factory Venue | Catering: Kate Clyde’s | Florist: Honeycomb Florals | DJ: DJ AVI-X | Hair and Makeup: Holly Mae Freeman | Wedding Dresses: David’s Bridal | Bridal Shoes: Tieks